Faleiro refuses to step down

PANAJI, OCT 6: Just hours after the Congress lost both the Parliament seats here to the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP, its Chief Minister and State party president Luizinho Faleiro has refused to quit.

Faleiro noted that party is collectively responsible for the defeat. To drive home the point, he noted that the election campaign committee was headed by outgoing MPs Ravi Naik and Fransisco Sardinha in Panaji and Murmagao seats respectively. Both leaders now in the State Assembly are prominent dissidents eyeing the chief minister8217;s job.

Analyzing the party8217;s defeat, Faleiro noted that the merger of the regional Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MGP with the Congress was one factor. 8220;There was no time for the integration of the parties at all levels,8221; he said. Faleiro also noted that the Congress nor being a cadre-based party like the BJP could not pull out voters on polling day.